NK3 receptor antagonists for the treatment of schizophrenia

The ability of NK3 receptor antagonists to enhance dopaminergic, serotonergic, noradrenergic, cholinergic and GABAergic release in the limbic system, cortex, hippocampus and striatum, all of which have been implicated in schizophrenia and the mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs, is a principal reason for interest in this class of drugs as a possible monotherapy or augmentation treatment for schizophrenia. In addition, two NK3 receptor antagonists, osanetant and talnetant, have been studied in patients with schizophrenia, with some evidence for efficacy (osanetant).

Section editors:David Sibley – National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USAC. Anthony Altar – Psychiatric Genomics, Gaithersburg, USATheresa Branchek – Lundbeck Research, Paramus, USA